“Um…” I didn’t want to get into our emotionally packed breakup right now and with a quick glance at Nate I was sure he didn’t want to either. His eyes were tortured and his jaw set. He still felt guilty about what he did even though there was nothing we could do about it. My heart ached at the sight of his pain.
Adrian must have sensed our discomfort, because he clapped his hands together. “Let’s get going guys; I’d like to stop for breakfast. Our things are already in the car.” He reached for my suitcase.
“Geesh, Adrian, what time did you get up?” I struggled to smile, fighting the mood Marisa’s questions provoked.
“Seven. But I let Mari sleep until eight. And when she woke up I was showered, dressed and packed. I had to wait for her though.” He was happier than he had been yesterday. He must have had a good sleep and allowed the events of yesterday sink in.
Marisa grinned at him. “He’s still a morning person.” Her face brightened; clearly happy she remembered something about her brother.
“Did he tell you he’s a great kick boxer?”
“You still do that?” she asked him, looking up at him with a half-smile.
He nodded to her and then glanced at me. “Yeah, I was into it before I was bitten. I stopped for a while, but started again a few years ago.”
“Your brother trained me to defend myself against Charlotte. He knew I would need to be able to protect myself.” I couldn’t help the awe that laced my words. He had introduced me to a world that I loved and still practiced whenever I could. Despite his deception of his true identity at first, he helped me learn to protect myself and at a low point in my life, I appreciated that so much. That was why I felt the need to help him find his sister. I wanted to pay him back in some way. And besides, I was glad that I made the trip. Nate would never have found Sadie and Adrian might still be looking. And Marisa needed Adrian in her life just as bad as he needed her. They were family and to them that meant everything to them. I was just beginning to understand that feeling, but with me it was my married family that I treasured.
“Really?” Marisa gazed at Adrian. “Can you train me?”
He smiled, his eyes lighting with emotion. “I’d loved to.”
I couldn’t help but sneak a look at Sadie. There was sadness in her eyes that she was trying to hide with a small smile. She had kept her brown hair down as well; the braid was nowhere to be seen. She was wearing a white peasant top with black shorts. She didn’t wear a lot of makeup, but she didn’t need it.
“Great. Well, we should get going. Don’t want to miss the party my mother’s having for us.” I grabbed my bag and followed Adrian out, who was still dragging my suitcase behind him.
Sadie glanced at Nate raising a brow in question. “I’ll explain on the way,” he said.
Nate and I separated again. I think he wanted to be with his friend, who I could tell was feeling left out. I hated the tiny twinge of satisfaction that burned inside me. Adrian was my friend and she had hurt him. I couldn’t help feeling protective of people I cared for.
Adrian and I were bombarded with questions from Marisa about her new home. There were more for me than him though, since they mostly consisted of queries about the high schools and kids in town. I didn’t know many teens her age, but I described the school and clubs. It turned out she had always wanted to be a cheerleader, but just when tryouts started Sadie removed her, just after she smelled Adrian.
She seemed excited as I described where they would live and about the Riley family all of whom knew about the secret of werewolves.
“Actually,” I said over my shoulder. “Nathan doesn’t. So, make sure to keep quiet around him.”
“Who’s Nathan and why doesn’t he know?” Her hands appeared on our seats and then her head popped between us, long black strands of her hair fluttered in the wind, blowing in both of our faces.
I leaned back. “He is my best friend’s brother and Nate’s nephew.” I pushed at a lock of hair that the wind blew into my eyes. “And in his family they always tell the kids around seventeen or eighteen, or whenever they are ready.”
“How old is he?”
I could hear the curiosity in her tone and I was a little nervous to answer. “Fifteen.” I mumbled.
Adrian glared at me and all I could do was shrug. I could see the interest peek in her expression, but her only response was an indifferent, “Cool.” Then she went silent as she sat back in her seat staring out the window and watching the scenery pass by. The sky was darker today. The sun was hidden under clouds, but it was still hot. The humidity was high and since Adrian’s air-conditioner was on the blink we had the windows open. The wind whipped our hair into our faces, but it felt better than the sticky heat.
Adrian and I exchanged glances when Marisa remained silent. This was an unexpected turn of events. Now Adrian would have to worry about hormonal teenagers living on the same estate. I couldn’t help the smile that played at my lips. Adrian was in for a lot of drama and he may need Sadie’s help whether he liked it or not.
I felt so much older than my nineteen years. Marisa wasn’t that much younger than me, but I felt that I had aged ten years since I met Nate. I was now married and helping to run a charity. When I took the time to really think about it, I felt a little overwhelmed.
We drove all day and again stopped for the night. This time Marisa asked to stay with Sadie. Sadie’s face brightened. I was expecting Adrian to get upset, but he said it was fine as long as there was a connecting door between them. He still didn’t trust Sadie and why would he? She had proven to be a runner.
Once the girls were settled in their room, I motioned for Adrian to come into ours. Nate set our bags down near the closet and Adrian settled on the sofa, lying out comfortably, his sandaled feet sticking out over the arm of the couch.
“Why did you let her stay with Sadie?” I asked softly, knowing that if Sadie was in the hall, she’d hear.
“Because it’s been a long time since I spent any time with Marisa and I forgot how much she talked.” He laid his head back in the cushion and covered his face with his arm. “She talks as much as she did when she was five. I was used to it then, but now I’ll need to take it in small doses.”
It was true. Her silence after her questions about Nathan didn’t last long. She got excited when a song came on the radio and she began to sing. Then asked me questions about who I thought were the hottest singers, which moved to the hottest actors and then asked if there was anyone in Creekford that resembled any actors. Then she talked about clothes and asked to see mine when I described all the clothes my mother used to buy me. Adrian was quiet most of the time, while we discussed girly things. I tried to steer her to a subject he could join by telling her that I had managed to stop a werewolf from killing Lauren’s father. But after her initial excitement and a few questions on where we train, or how often we worked out, she lost interest. It was indeed a long day.
“So, it won’t be so bad to have Sadie help then?” Nate asked.
Adrian’s arm remained over his face as he nodded. “I’ll take all the help I can get.”
“Good. Because Sadie is a good person and this situation is hurting her.”
Adrian removed his hand and sat up, glaring at Nate. “This is hurting her? Are you serious Nate?”
Nate turned to face Adrian, his face hard. “She thought you were dangerous or she would never have continued to keep her from you.”
Adrian sat up. “But she did.”
“Does it not matter that she’s yours?” Nate’s voice was softer.
Adrian growled out a deep breath. “I don’t even want to think about that right now.”
I glanced at Nate. “Did she say anything about that?”
“Just that she wanted to focus on Marisa, she is her priority.”
Adrian’s lips tightened but he remained silent.
“Well,” he said standing up after a few minutes of strained silence. “I’m going to bed. I need some quiet.”
I jumped up and gave him a quick hug. “Have a good rest. We have another long day of driving tomorrow.”
When he pulled away, his face was strained. What Nate had said must have bothered him. “I think I might split up our time with Sadie.”
I laughed as he let himself out of our room.
I was suddenly wrapped in Nate’s arms. “I missed you today,” he whispered raggedly in my ear.
We fell onto the bed where I showed him how much I missed him.
“They’re gone!” Adrian’s loud growl yanked me out of sleep. I opened my eyes and blinked. The sun was bright, shining in through our hotel room. Adrian was standing in the doorway, wearing nothing but black cotton pajama pants. His hair was sticking up and his eyes were yellow and wild. His face was strained with worry and pain.
“What?” I mumbled, leaning up on my elbows. Nate sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
“Sadie took Marisa. I told you we couldn’t trust her.” He was glaring at Nate; all of his anger was directed at him.
“Maybe they just went to the store?” I suggested, thankful that I was wearing my usual nightshirt, since Adrian must have broken the lock.
Adrian shook his head. “No. Their room is empty.”
Panic rushed through my body making me gasp. I jumped up as his words finally settled into my sleepy brain. I yanked on my discarded shorts and then pulled my hair into a messy tail. “Come on Nate, we have to go track them down.”
Nate did as I asked as Adrian rushed back into his room to change. Within minutes we met in the hall and rushed down the stairs. We didn’t have time to wait for the elevator. I felt so angry at myself for believing Sadie could be trusted and a little ticked at Nate for vouching for her. Adrian was right all along and I would do everything in my power to make it up to him. As we burst outside into the bright sunshine we all froze at the scene before us…Sadie and Marisa were arm and arm skipping toward the hotel. They were both in shorts and tank tops, their hair down and it blew in the soft breeze around their faces. They were smiling and singing.
The three of us exchanged confused glances. This did not look like an escape attempt.
“Where were you?” Adrian bellowed angrily across the lot, his booming voice echoed around us drawing attention from people nearby.
The two girls stopped and eyed us curiously. We moved forward meeting them halfway.
“It’s strawberry day,” Marisa explained as we approached them, like we should know what that meant. “Every Sunday morning we go out for strawberry shakes and strawberry covered waffles.”
Sadie glanced at each of us apprehensively. “I spotted a diner last night when we arrived and I woke Marisa early. We tried to be quiet so we wouldn’t wake you guys. It was a long drive yesterday and I knew you needed your sleep for the one today. I thought we’d be back before you woke up.”
Adrian smirked at her, not entirely believing her words. “Where are you bags?”
“We put them in the car, so we’d be ready to leave just in case we took too long at the diner,” Marisa answered, appearing confused with all the questions. In her mind, they simply went out to breakfast. What was wrong with that?
Sadie glanced between us, her eyes narrowed. “Wait. Did you guys think I took off with Marisa?” She was staring at Nate with an eyebrow raised. There was a hurt look in her eyes.
Nate cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Um…No. I didn’t.”
“I did. Don’t go anywhere again without letting me know. I almost had a heart attack,” Adrian informed her.
Her still narrowed eyes flashed yellow as she turned her stare on Adrian. “Let’s just get one thing straight. I get that you are her brother, but you have to accept that I am her family too. And stop thinking the worst in me. I only want what is best for her and I know that us fighting over her all the time isn’t helping, so just back off.” Her words were so commanding I found myself taking a step back. For a young looking girl with an innocent face, she could be tough when she wanted to be.
Adrian remained silent as he spun around and headed for his Jeep.
Chapter Fourteen
Houseguests
Things had been a little tense with our group for about a day after Adrian and Sadie’s argument, but everything returned to normal as time went on. When we arrived in Creekford the day before the reception it was forgotten altogether. After driving for so long, I was excited to get out of the stuffy confined space. I had driven with Adrian for the last few hours so I was extra happy to smell the fresh air. Since I had been keeping his car clean, it didn’t stink as much as it did when I first joined him a week ago. But it still didn’t smell like roses. The sun was out again, brighter and hotter than ever, but thankfully the humidity was gone. Yes it was hot, but there was a cool breeze that whispered through the trees that helped to cool us down.
Will, Caroline and Nathan met us in the driveway and I was excited to see their friendly faces. Traveling with the same four people for so long, I was desperately in need of new companionship. They were all dressed casually; Nathan in shorts and a t-shirt, Caroline in a pencil skirt and short sleeve blouse and Will was dressed in khakis and a polo shirt. They looked the typical country club part, but I knew they weren’t. They might have a membership, but they weren’t at all snobby. Classy, was the word I would use to describe Nate’s family. Well, now they were my family too.
“How was the trip home?” Will asked us as we all emerged from the two cars. His trademark blond, Riley hair was thinning in the top and his face, that had been thin if not lined when I met him, was beginning to fill out.
“Long,” I said as I stretched my stiff muscles.
Will laughed and turned to Adrian. “I see you found your sister?” he guessed, glancing at Marisa. But since she looked so much like her brother, it was easy to figure out which one she was. She smiled shyly at him and he moved his attention to Sadie. “But who’s this?”
“Will, this is Sadie,” Nate explained, stepping up to the girl in question. Sadie’s grin was breathtaking. Over the last few days she had little to smile about, but when she did it brightened her whole face. And being around her you couldn’t help but smile yourself. When she wasn’t taking on Adrian, she had an innocent quality about her that was surprising for someone who had been through so much.
Will’s eyes were as wide as the tires from the car I had just climbed out of. “How is that possible?”
Nate glanced at Nathan, who had yet to learn the secret of us werewolves and exchanged a look with Will. “I’ll explain later. Is it still okay if Adrian and Marisa stay at Joe’s?”
Will nodded sneaking a look at his son that was watching Marisa. “Yes. Joe can stay in the west wing when they get back later today.”
Nate nodded and patted Sadie on the back. “Good. And Sadie can stay with us at the cottage until we find her a more permanent home.” He glanced at me questionably and I smiled in answer. He couldn’t turn his friend away after just finding her. He wouldn’t be the man I loved if he did that.
Nate smiled in return, his eyes lit up with gratitude. “Sadie, Marisa, this is my uncle and his family; Caroline and Nathan.” They knew that wasn’t true, but Nathan didn’t. He grew up thinking of Nate as his older cousin. It was the secret the Riley family were bound to keep and most of them had no problem with it.
“It’s nice to meet you all,” Sadie said warmly as she stepped forward, her flip-flops smacking against the paved driveway. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Nate.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you as well,” Caroline said, shaking Sadie’s hand. “Welcome to our home. Let us know if you need anything.”
Sadie nodded as she pulled her hand out of Caroline’s. “Thank you so much.”
Marisa only smiled, her eyes shifting between the ground and Nathan, her cheeks flushing red. I couldn’t help but notice the extra care she had put in her appearance this morning before we left our final hotel. Her long, raven hair was up in a twist, with a few piece
s framing her face. Her makeup highlighted her dark eyes and the royal blue, sleeveless blouse showcased her flawless complexion. She was also wearing a gray, layered, short skirt with a sparkly belt. Sadie and I had joked about feeling underdressed in our tank tops and shorts and with the heat, both of us were wearing minimal makeup. Marisa had said that she was trying to make a good impression on the people she would be staying with. Now that we were here though, I had a feeling it was only one of the Riley’s she cared about impressing.
Nathan smiled pointedly at Marisa. He was as friendly as Lauren, but I couldn’t help but notice a spark of interest in his eyes. And by the sudden frown on Adrian’s face, so did he. “Will you be going to Everest, Marisa?”
She shrugged, looking at Adrian for the answer. He looked just as unsure as he glanced at me.
I smiled and walked towards her, looping my arm through hers. She smelled of the perfume she had dosed herself with this morning and of course, cherry bubble gum. “Yes, she’ll be going to Everest, I’ve been filling her in on all the good places to go for lunch.”
Nathan laughed softly. “Did you tell her about Tots?”
Marisa grinned, her eyes flashing with amusement. “Isn’t that the place you told me not to go to because the guy scratches himself while he’s making French fries?”
Nathan laughed, his dimples showing, just like his namesake. It was spooky how much he resembled Nate. “That’s the place. Don’t worry, I’ll show you the ropes.”
Marisa smiled. “Cool, thanks.” Her face brightened again, flushing a deeper shade of crimson.
Sadie and Adrian shared a look of horror.
I suppressed a laugh, finding it humorous that they would have a similar reaction. Of course they would finally agree when it came to Marisa liking a boy. Isn’t that what all parents feared?
Nate must have caught the look as well, because he chuckled softly. Adrian and Sadie cut him a searing look to silence him.
Riley's Redemption (A Moon's Glow Novel) Page 12
